Old Christmas and Bracebridge Hall / First Editions

by Washington Irving,
Illustrated by Randolph Caldecott.

The first edition, being the first edition of these stories, was published separately from The Sketch Book in 1819. These are either the first or second printings; based on Macmillan's bibliography lists, two printings for Old Christmas dated 1876 and two for Bracebridge Hall dated 1877, both indistinguishable.

Old Christmas

Book Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket: None.

In dark green publisher's cloth with gilt decoration and titles on the front board and spine. The frontispiece was tipped-in (repaired) and without a tissue guard. The text block gilt on all sides with bumping on the fore-edge. There is foxing on the free endpapers and the half-title page. There is also a hint of sunning to the spine, minor edgewear, spine leaning, tender hinges, or slightly cracked. Notes were written on the free endpapers and the half-title page, which describe the book as "First US Edition Illustrated by Caldecott and rare."

Publisher: Macmillan & Co.
Publication Year: 1876
Binding: Hardcover
Condition: Very Good
Edition: First Edition
Pages: 165pp
Size: 7 1/4" x 5"

Bracebridge Hall 

Book Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket: None.

In dark green publisher's cloth with gilt decoration and titles on the front board and spine. Frontispiece with tissue guard and text block gilt on all sides. There is a hint of sunning to the spine, minor edgewear, spine leaning, tender hinges, or slightly cracked. There is the owner's bookplate on the front pastedown. There is a note in pencil on the front endpaper and on the last page. The text block has some foxing to pages. Illustrator Randolf Caldecott (1846-1886) is acknowledged in the Preface as the "same able pencil" to have illustrated MacMillan's re-publication of Irving's "Old Christmas the year prior.

Publisher: Macmillan & Co.
Publication Date: 1877
Binding: Hardcover
Condition: Very Good
Pages: 284pp, Ads (4)
Size: 5 x 7 1/4"